Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg and the Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie have teamed up for the 9th Festival of Chocolate to create a sculpture made entirely from Fairtrade chocolate, which was unveiled on Friday 20 November 2015.
Certain experts believe that increaing demand for cocoa beans in Asian markets, the degradation of arable land due to new diseases brought by climate change and the decreases in cocoa prodcers could lead to a global cocoa shortage in the next five years. Young people are more and more likely to abandon the fields in search of work in the city as they are understandably unwilling to the necessary work without being paid properly and being forced to live below the poverty line.
However, the switch to Fairtrade cocoa may be able to stem the shortage. Fairtrade standards involve ensuring a minimum price to cover production costs and allows farmers to use their more stable financial situation to invest in adapted training and better tools, ensuring more sustainable cocoa for increased production. Cooperatives invest an average of 46% of Fairtrade premium in measures to improve the quality of cocoas beans.
"Since Fairtrade certification, we have participated in training and were able to increase productivity," explaine 75-year-old Dou Bouré Guebre, a cocoa producer and part of the CANN cooperative in the Ivory Coast. "It is important to sell more cocoa under Fairtrade conditions, as this allowed me to send all my children to school and to finally build a new house."
Recent studies have shown that more and amore children are working on cocoa plantations in West Africa, with figures from 2013/14 showing that 2.26 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 working in cocoa production in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The Fairtrade system aims to combat the causes of child exploitation and labour, supporting producer organisations in implementing additional measures to this effect. Fairtrade collaborates with businesses, governments and civil society to help eradicate child labour.
"Real pleasure is shared pleasure," commented Georges Christen, Luxembourgish strongman, Guiness World Record holder and Ambassador for Fairtrade. "Savour the chocolate with a clear conscience, knowing that people who have produced the cocoa to create it were paid fairly".
To support the Fairtrade cause and to open the 9th Festival of Chocolate, the students of the Year 12 Pastry Class of the Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie created a sculpture produced entirely from Fairtrade chocolate during three four-hour workshops. This was unveiled Friday at the Luxembourg City youth hostel.
"We created a sculpture which represents the work linked to Fairtrade," the students explained. "It is important for us to support Fairtrade, an organisation that helps small producers to be not exploited, but respected and heard. Fairtrade tries to change the wolrd and we want to participate, too. Thank you to Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg for having appealed to us. It is with great pleasure that we have produced this sculpture made with 100% Fairtrade chocolate and we hope to engage ourselves again on a future occasion."
At the unveiling, Jean-Louis Zeien of Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg spoke of how the Fairtrade banana market has spread into consumer choices, with every fourth banana in Luxembourg being Fairtrade. whilst Fairtrade chocolate still needs to catch on at a mere 1.5% market share. Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg has two license holders at the moment in Luxembourg, as well as several partners in other countries including Schönenberger and Naturata in Switzerland and Zotter in Austria.
"There is still a gap between what we should do and what we do do," explained Jean-Louis Zeien. "That is why it is so important for us to work with Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie to sensibilise students as they will be the future chocolatiers."
To learn more about Fairtrade actions and the movement itself, as well as events as part of the Festival of Chocolate taking place from 20 November to 8 December 2015, visit www.fairtrade.lu.
Photos by Sarah Graham (Top L-R: Jean-Louis Zeien, Fairtrade Lëtzbuerg; Carole Theisen, Deputy Director of Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie. Middle L-R: Georges Christen, Fairtrade Ambassador; Jean-Louis Zeien. Bottom: Pastry Class of Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie)
